


Cats Crawling Underfoot (and in your hearts)

by ListeningBoy



Category: Detroit: Become Human (Video Game)
Genre: Birthday, Birthday Presents, Cats
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-07
Updated: 2019-10-07
Packaged: 2020-12-01 23:48:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,463
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20938940
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ListeningBoy/pseuds/ListeningBoy
Summary: It's supposed to be Gavin's birthday, but he's not the only one who gets a present.





	Cats Crawling Underfoot (and in your hearts)

**Author's Note:**

> Wow, two fics today. It's almost like I'm an actual writer or something.
> 
> This fic was written to celebrate Gavin's birthday, but the prompts I got had me thinking more about RK900, so it ended up focusing on him instead.
> 
> I'm not too happy with the summary, so that might change in the future.
> 
> * * *
> 
> **  
**  
Prompts:  
I have a prompt for Gavin’s birthday nines finds out + pet store + sees pets of feline nature = best of birthdays. (from iluvmalecandclace)  
Nines deviates as his present for Gavin’s bday😱😂 (from Anonymous)  


"Detective Reed, I'd like to take you out."

"Like on a date, or with a sniper?" Gavin responded automatically, not even looking up from his lunch.

The android blinked, processing the wordplay, then frowned. "Neither, though perhaps one of those would be a preferable birthday present to what I have planned."

Gavin turned, squinting up at him. "Who told you it was my birthday?"

"I have access to all DPD records, including your personal record, Detective. I could have simply looked it up."

"Uh-huh," Gavin rolled his eyes, unconvinced. "So who was it?"

"...Tina."

He snorted, "Of course," before turning back to his meal. Less than a minute of silence passed before he looked up from his food again. "Alright, I'll bite. What're you planning?"

"That would ruin the surprise, Detective. If you're interested, you'll have to come with me after work to find out."

The man scoffed, turning away from him to shovel the last bite of his sandwich into his mouth. Richard was patient, but when the detective began to gather his trash and prepare to leave the break room, he hesitantly readied himself to designate his latest self-imposed objective, [Offer Det. Reed A Gift], as a failure.

Just before walking past the android and out of the room, Gavin gave him a glance. He seemed to see something in Richard's face, although there was nothing that registered as abnormal when he ran a scan. Sighing, he relented, "Whatever. I've got nothing to do tonight, anyway." [Mission Successful] came up on Richard's HUD as he watched the human walk away.

* * *

While Tina may have been the one to inform him of his partner's upcoming birthday, it was Connor who encouraged him to take action.

"It'll be good for you," his predecessor had insisted, "This is exactly the kind of thing the Jericho techs want you to try!"

The 'kind of thing' in question was a short list of tasks that sounded simple but were nonetheless difficult for Richard to accomplish, even as the world's most advanced android to date.

[Missions:]  
[Create Personal Relationships]  
[Engage In Social Activities]  
[Experience New Things]  
[Deviate]

Achieving the last item was the purpose of the rest. Because Richard was truly the most advanced android, and until recently the people designing androids deemed 'advanced' to include 'deviancy proof'. Not that they had managed to create such a thing, but they had come close; while he was no longer Cyberlife's tool, able to create his own objectives and goals, the mysteries of emotion were still largely inaccessible to him.

Markus' 'magic touch', as some androids liked to call it, had done little for him. The red walls had crumbled, but there was more to it, some block in his code that even the deviant leader couldn't find.

He and his fellow Jericho androids could only recommend that he try to unlock it himself, by exploring this new brand of deviancy that they were unfamiliar with.

Which had lead to his missions. Richard had set them as such, now that he had the ability to do so, because the people around him expected him to want to experience deviancy in its fullest form. Truthfully, he didn't much care, but he recognised that they knew more about it than he. If they thought he should try to feel, then really, why should he not?

Befriending Detective Reed was not essential to fulfilling his missions, but he was the most logical route. As Richard's assigned partner, he would be the easiest to socialize and plan outings with. While it had been rough going for a while, the android felt he had made progress. For instance, since his first week on the job when he had broken Reed's hand because the human had tried to hit him from behind, there had been no more violent outbursts, which he registered as an improvement in their relationship.

(Connor claimed that it was not so, but did mention that some other efforts seemed more successful. Richard ignored that assessment. Connor was, after all, only the _second_ most advanced model, and so was more prone to error.)

As he drove Gavin's car to their destination after their shift had ended, Richard contemplated his many efforts over the past few months. They were starting to come together and build towards a completion of his missions, but still he found himself lacking the ability to feel as other, true deviants did. It was... frustrating. Even if he had no real inclination towards those particular objectives, he still wished to succeed in them, as he was made to do.

* * *

Gavin sat in the passenger seat of his car, phone in hand. A repetitive game took up his attention, though he occasionally looked out the window to try to gauge where they were going. However, Richard was going in the opposite direction from Gavin's apartment, and soon they were in a part of the city he didn't frequent nor recognise.

Truth be told, he wasn't sure why he had agreed to come. It had nothing to do with any growing affection for his partner, nor to assuage any loneliness that he absolutely did not feel when he chose to stay home alone on his birthday every year. And it definitely wasn't because Richard had, somehow, despite never changing his expression, managed to look like an upset puppy when he initially tried to brush the android's offer off.

...Nothing like that. It was just because he had nothing better to do, like he'd said. Right.

Eventually he grew bored of his game, shutting it off and pocketing the device. Richard didn't have to look away from the road to see this and notify him, "Just another minute or so, Detective."

He stared out the window rather than reply, watching the buildings speed past. The area they'd entered was mainly residential, with a few shops here and there.

When the car finally slowed, pulling into a small parking lot, Gavin looked out the windshield at the building they were stopping in front of. His eyes widened, then shot to Richard, who was calmly unbuckling himself from the seat. "Rich, why are we at a pet store?"

The android paused. "It is not a _store_, Detective," he admonished, "it is a _shelter_."

"Okay, then why are we at a pet _shelter_?"

"To get your birthday gift." Said as if it were the most obvious thing in the world.

Gavin stared. "Richard," he said slowly, "what _is_ my birthday gift?"

"A cat."

* * *

Richard was still recovering from the detective's sudden outburst in the car. While he had expected excitement, he had _not_ expected his partner to suddenly shout out "Fuck yeah!" at the news of his surprise. Reed was not usually so outwardly happy, he was more of a quiet, almost-not-there smiles kind of man, in Richard's experience.

He did appreciate knowing he was not off the mark with his choice of gift. Of course, it was made to suit the human's interests, as any good gift should be, or so he found in his research on the topic. Reed had on multiple occasions lamented his apartment building's 'no pets' rule in the past; he often ignored his work in favour of showing coworkers cat videos he found online; and recently he had mentioned to Tina (and to Richard, since he had joined them in the break room, though the human paid him no mind) that he had been able to find an apartment that was closer to the station, and which, he excitedly explained more than once, was pet friendly.

Gavin Reed was, obviously, a cat person. And he had finished moving into his new apartment a week prior. It was unlikely he had already found a cat for himself, but he no doubt would start looking soon. It was the perfect present, in Richard's eyes.

Apparently Reed saw it the same way. Immediately upon entering the small shelter he was rushing to have an employee show them to where the cats were kept. It was a small hallway, each side lined with cages. At first the human was worried about them being in such enclosed spaces, but the woman who had showed them the way explained that they were given plenty of time in a play room to stretch their legs outside of business hours.

While the human took his time going from cage to cage, looking in at the animals and occasionally asking to be allowed to hold one or another, Richard went back out to the reception area, where a few shelves were lined with items for sale. He took it upon himself to choose a few things for the detective’s new pet, a bed and a few toys. He would be paying for it all, as part of the gift, as well as for the adoption fee and any medical bills that might be required.

“Richard! Get in here!”

Everything in his arms was dropped immediately, making the man at the desk look up and frown. He didn’t get a chance to say anything, as Richard rushed past him too fast for him to get out anything but a shout of “Hey!” The android was too concerned with his partner’s safety to be bothered with explaining himself; Gavin had never yelled for him before, and it sent his LED spinning red.

However, rather than the scene of injury or attack he expected to see, upon returning to the hallway he was greeted only by the sight of Gavin holding a bundle of fur in his arms.

Before Richard could ask what was wrong, that bundle was shoved into his chest. “Look at her,” Gavin insisted, “isn’t she adorable?”

Richard’s hands automatically came up to hold the bundle - a cat, he corrected. A very, very small cat.

The thing stared up at him with shining copper eyes, black fur bristling at suddenly being upended from the human’s comfortable embrace. It meowed at him viciously - a laughable effort, as it sounded more like a squeak than anything.

Richard stared back, processors whirring as his thoughts raced. He stood completely unmoving as the cat turned itself about in his arms, settling into a comfortable position to rest in.

When she had stopped moving and was dozing against his chest, he finally looked up at the humans in the room. “Detective,” he began, then stopped, losing track of what he was going to say when the cat suddenly shifted, stretching. With immense seriousness, he informed the two, “This kitten is too small.”

* * *

Gavin was delighted at Richard’s reaction to the cat, but nodded in agreement at his statement. “I don’t really want a cat that young, I just couldn’t let you stay out there without seeing her.”

The employee stepped forward, arms out to take the cat from him. “We have plenty of older cats who are looking for homes, as well. Let me get her put away and you can look at some more.”

“No!”

The sudden cry from the android shocked all of them. The lightest tint of pink covered his cheeks. “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me.”

Recovering, the woman laughed. “It’s fine! It’s easy to get attached to these furballs. You can hold her a little longer while I finish showing your friend here the others, if you want?”

Slowly, Richard nodded. “I’d like that.”

While he continued searching for his new pet, Gavin kept an eye on his partner. The android stood stock still, letting the cat in his arms squirm around as she pleased, but he was clearly enjoying it, a small, genuine-seeming smile on his face.

Gavin finally chose a cat, an adult orange tabby with a torn ear, who he absolutely fell in love with on sight. When he announced his decision, he saw Richard tense, turning towards the humans stiffly. Before he could offer up the cat he was holding Gavin remarked, intentionally nonchalant, “You know, you should get that one. We can let them have play dates.”

He blinked. Looked first to Gavin, then to the employee. “I can have her?”

She smiled brightly, “Of course! You’ll have to go through the adoption process, and we’ll be doing a check in a month from now to make sure she’s settling in okay. But based on what Mr. Reed has been telling me, I’m sure you’ll make an excellent owner for her.”

The human blushed at the mention of his name, pointedly focusing on his cat. The woman helped them get the animals into their cages again so they could proceed with the paperwork, then guided them to an office behind the counter in the main room. Richard sheepishly apologized to the man who’d had to pick up the things he had dropped earlier, but he brushed it off once he learned that they were there to adopt.

They were left alone as the woman went to ready the cats for transport. Richard sped through the reading, summarizing the pages for Gavin’s benefit, and they’d both finished signing before she returned.

“So…” Richard began into the silence of the room, “You talked about me?”

Gavin stiffened. “She was being nosy, asking questions. I had to say something.”

“Of course.” He accepted the answer unquestioningly. Hesitantly, he asked, “Was your invitation to have the cats engage in ‘play dates’ serious, detective? I must admit I don’t have any experience in interacting with non-sapient animals, so I would appreciate the opportunity to observe.”

“Yeah, I mean, if you wanna do it. I don’t mind. As long as you don’t try to get into my shit while you’re over.”

“I wouldn’t.” Richard smiled, knowing full well that was a lie. He was too naturally curious to not go snooping around.

“You would.” Gavin laughed, knowing the same. “Just keep out of the bedroom and we’ll be fine.”

“Understood, detective.” He filed the order away so he wouldn’t forget, not that it was likely as he had more than enough memory to last decades, but nonetheless he didn’t want to risk having it slip through and accidentally get deleted.

* * *

Richard let Reed drive them home, taking up the job of sitting in the back seat and holding the cat carriers in place. He felt as if he had made some sort of breakthrough, though he wasn’t certain how. But something was different. Something that had appeared when he’d held the kitten - his kitten - and had lingered through the discussion with his partner.

Rather than dissect it any further, as he was usually inclined to do, he chose to simply accept it for the time being. He would ask Connor about it in the morning, perhaps, but somehow it didn’t seem as urgent right now as getting home and letting Pixie acclimate to her new home.

**Author's Note:**

> Follow me on [Tumblr](http://gavinisqueertbh.tumblr.com) and [PillowFort](https://www.pillowfort.io/ListeningBoy)


End file.
